live. work. dream.

Our sabbatical has always been about discovering the ins and outs of potential business endeavors. Here at the dude ranch, we’re learning how real resorts operate.

The ranch has around 18 cabin rentals, and I’m on the cleaning crew. After just a few weeks, I’m discovering the answers to all sorts of things I wondered about whenever we’ve stayed in lodging establishments. For example;

Let’s start with bed linens. Did you know that most of the time, even at the schnazziest resorts, only the bed sheets get washed after a guest checks out? Not the mattress pad that they slept on. Nor the blankets that probably have a few hairs embedded in them. Certainly not the bedspread that they might have sat buck-naked on after taking a dump. And most definitely, not the pillows that they slobbered on. Rooms need to be turned over quickly for the next guest, and it’s just not practical (or resource-friendly) to wash everything, every time.

Keep in mind that generally, the more you pay for a hotel room, the cleaner it’s going to be. Here at the ranch, cabins aren’t cheap, so guests can rest easy. Paulette, the owner, has extremely high cleanliness standards, and I’m working my tail off to meet them.

It’s just that the other day I realized that even in four star hotels, the only thing that could be separating me and a raging case of scabies from another guest, is a thin white sheet.